


Perfectly Suited

by quartetship



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Circus, M/M, Magician AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-04-17
Updated: 2014-04-17
Packaged: 2018-01-19 19:00:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,734
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1480585
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/quartetship/pseuds/quartetship
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Trapeze artist Jean is the newest member of a circus company that also just happens to employ an adorable, freckled magician.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Clubs

**Author's Note:**

> This work is entirely based on this [artwork](http://lemonorangelime.tumblr.com/post/77665616905/magician-marco-from-an-au-ive-been-thinking-about), by the lovely [lemonorangelime](http://lemonorangelime.tumblr.com/) :)
> 
> Please enjoy my super fluffy take on a circus/magician AU!
> 
> This chapter: Jean's perspective!
> 
> \--

"First, I'd like everyone to say hello to our company's newest member, Jean!"

Hanji - Jean's new boss - waved her arm excitedly in his direction, and the rest of the circus staff turned toward him to offer stiff smiles. It was Monday morning, and he was sitting in his first staff meeting with the circus company he'd hired on with the week before. The excitable ringmaster seemed like a good boss so far, if not a bit overly cheerful. He nodded politely back at her, and folded his arms as if they'd protect him from the stares his new castmates were giving him.

"He'll be joining Ymir as a trapeze artist."

A tall, slender woman nodded in his direction at that comment, and he assumed it was his new partner. Others just looked him over, as if he couldn't see them watching him. He shifted under their eyes and focused on listening to the rest of the meeting's discussion.

The looks of interest began to lessen as the morning went on, as Hanji discussed the need for better ticket and merchandise sales. By the time she was tucking her notes back into her bag, only one person was still looking at Jean - a good looking guy with dark hair and tanned skin, wearing all black and a huge smile. When Jean caught him staring, the other man didn't even offer to act embarrassed. Jean crossed his arms tighter and looked away.

\--

The first few practices were rough. Ymir was demanding and moody, and the routines she wanted to perform were completely different than what Jean had gotten used to at his job with another company. After the first morning, Ymir doubled their number of rehearsals for the coming week; Jean agreed, less than enthusiastically.

There were always a few other people practicing in the afternoons, and a few days into their lengthened schedule, Jean caught sight of the dark haired man from the meeting. He was rehearsing with a tiny blonde girl on a small stage in the middle of the floor's main ring, and their act was an absolute spectacle.

"What's wrong?" Ymir asked, catching him staring. She followed his eyes to where they rested and grinned, nodding her head. "Checking out magic man, huh?" She winked at him; he jumped to his feet, incensed.

"What? No! I was not checking -- can we just get back to practicing? I've almost got it."

She shrugged and then nodded, grabbing the trapeze bar and jumping into a simple swing over to the opposite podium. "Sure, fine. But he _is_ single, just so you know!"

Jean rolled his eyes. "I wasn't even looking at him, ok?" He stepped to the edge of the podium and waited for the bar to swing back toward him.

"Well you were definitely staring at something down there!" Ymir laughed.

Jean grabbed the bar and stepped off from the podium. "I was staring at the girl!" He insisted. It wasn't entirely a lie - the petite blonde had technically been in his line of sight almost the entire time.

"That so?"

"Yeah!" Jean assured her. He released the bar and flipped over himself, reaching for her hands as he made a full rotation. They never appeared. As he fell to the net below them, he saw her arms crossed over her chest.

"What the hell was that for?!" He groaned, pushing up on shaky arms from the wobbly ropes of the net. Ymir laughed and shook her head.

"Try being honest next time!" She pointed to the pair below them and smiled. "And by the way - that's my girlfriend."

\--

They kept up their doubled practice schedule as the weekend of Jean's first show quickly approached. He caught on to Ymir's directions, and she quit dropping him, at least for the most part. He made a few friends among the cast; acrobats named Connie and Sasha, a strong man named Reiner, and - despite her constant teasing - even Ymir herself. Hanji was a great boss, and he liked the rest of the cast just fine. But he still got an anxious, uncomfortable feeling every time his practices overlapped with the magician's.

It wasn't that he disliked him - they'd never really even spoken to each other. He had quite the opposite problem; when the other man was in the same room, it was hard for Jean to look anywhere else. No matter how comfortable he was getting with he and Ymir's routine, he could never give it his full attention. He was always too busy watching whatever magic was going on below them.

"So have you talked to him?" Ymir asked one morning, tossing a towel in his direction. Jean caught the towel and did his best to look disinterested as he tore his eyes away from the magician.

"What? No - I don't even know the guy. Why would --"

"And you're never going to unless you talk to him!"

"Maybe I don't want to!" Jean snapped. Ymir raised an eyebrow.

"Right... that's why you stare at him every day."

Jean wiped the towel over his face and shoulders and frowned. "I do not! Look, I really don't have time to talk to the 'star of the show' - he's probably some pretentious asshole."

" _You're_ the only asshole I see here." Ymir sighed. "He's a nice guy, but you'll never know that if you don't talk to him. One on one, you know?"

Jean dragged the towel across his face again and sighed. "I've literally never seen magic boy by himself, so that's probably never going to--"

Ymir turned away from him and cupped a hand around her mouth, looking down below them.

"Hey babe!" She called to the blonde girl. She looked back up at Ymir and shouted in response.

"Yeah?"

"Take a breather and let's go get some lunch!"

The blonde glanced back at the magician, who nodded and waved her on with a smile. Ymir looked over at Jean and grinned.

"There you go, bro. All by himself for you to talk to. Go get 'em." She grabbed onto the narrow ladder leading down from the podium and started toward the floor.

"That still doesn't mean that I want to!" Jean called after her, but she paid him no attention. He sat stubbornly on the podium for a few more minutes before finally relenting and climbing down as well.

When he reached the floor, Ymir and her girlfriend had disappeared. The magician was still there, putting things away in a few large trunks and humming to himself. Jean almost left him there, undisturbed. But the other man glanced up and caught his eye, and he found himself walking toward him.

"Need any help?" Jean offered automatically. The other man smiled widely and shook his head.

"Oh, no thanks. I'm pretty used to hauling these things around." He lifted one of the trunks up onto his shoulder. "I appreciate it, though." He tossed the trunk on top of a stack of others on a wheeled cart and smiled back at Jean, offering a hand. "I'm Marco, by the way."

Jean took his hand and nodded. "Jean" he said simply. "I, uh... your act seems really cool, from what I've seen of it."

"Likewise!" Marco said brightly. "Although I admit I haven't seen much. Practice keeps my attention for the most part."

"Yeah" Jean tried to sound like he knew what it was like to give practices his full attention. It was hard, standing so close to Marco. The magician was even better looking up close, covered in scattered freckles with an impossibly perfect smile. He had one chocolate brown eye, and one that was a nearly colorless shade of silver. Jean didn't realize he was staring until he felt Marco's hand on his shoulder and heard his soft voice.

"Would you like to see something up close?"

"Sure, yeah." Jean shrugged.

Marco wrung his hands together and a deck of cards appeared between them. He handed the box to Jean, who took them cautiously, as if they might disappear again. Marco smiled and took a step back.

"Can you shuffle cards? Ok, great! Just give those a quick shuffle, and pick any one you'd like. Glance at it, and then slide it back into the pack, and the pack back into the box."

Jean did as Marco asked, shifting a little under the other man's watch. He settled on the seven of clubs, then replaced it and the other cards in the box. He looked back at Marco expectantly.

"Ok, now drop them."

Jean stared for a moment, then let the box fall to the ground. Marco nodded and pulled a marker from his pocket. He held out his hand and motioned for Jean to do the same.

"May I?" He asked as he uncapped the marker. Jean nodded. Marco scribbled something across the palm of Jean's hand. Jean swallowed; his hands suddenly felt incredibly sweaty.

When Marco stepped back, Jean glanced down at the writing.

_Seven of Clubs. Thirteen._

He looked back at Marco with a mix of disbelief and confusion. "Thirteen?"

"Check the box!" Marco said brightly. Jean grabbed the cards and sorted through them, finding the one he'd chosen, thirteen cards from the top. When he removed it and flipped it over, the word 'Surprise!' was written across the back. He laughed; Marco smiled.

"That's pretty bad ass!" Jean said, still turning the card over in his hand. He handed the deck back to Marco, who twisted it between his hands again. This time, the deck disappeared and was replaced by a single rose. Marco held the flower out to Jean, who raised an eyebrow at the gesture.

"Do you always end your card tricks this way?" Jean asked, reminded of his anxieties. Marco probably gave roses to everyone he performed for. Jean crossed his arms, but Marco just held the flower out patiently.

"Gotta follow through with the performance, Jean!" He smiled, and something about the way he said Jean's name convinced him to take the rose, albeit a little begrudgingly.

"Well that was cool, and it was nice to talk to you."

"I'd love to show you more sometime" Marco said sweetly, though his two very different eyes shined with the same, decidedly more mischievous look. Jean swallowed again and nodded, glancing down at the rose in his hand. He noticed that the writing was still there on his palm, but it appeared to have changed. He moved the flower to look closer.

_Marco Bodt. 712-555-0849_

Jean looked back up, a half smile on his face, but Marco was gone.

That night he sat the rose on his bedside table and wondered what practice would be like the next day, now that he knew the magician's name. He realized as he stared at the flower that his name was really all he knew about him. That, and that he was kind of amazing.

Jean didn't text him. He spent the next morning arguing with himself about why.

\--

"So he did all that, and you didn't even text him?"

Ymir's voice was an unwelcome reminder at practice.

"He probably does that kind of thing for everyone he meets." Jean grumbled. He lifted Ymir onto his shoulders and stepped them toward the edge of the podium. She grabbed the bar of the trapeze and hooked her legs under his arms as they moved into a jump.

"You're impossible, you know that? You have one of the most dangerous jobs on the planet, and yet you're too scared to talk to a cute boy."

"I'm not scared!" Jean protested. Ymir tugged her legs up toward her chest and Jean began to slip. He reached up for her hands, but she kept them firmly on the bar, grinning down at him.

"Ok, I'm scared, I'm scared! Quit being a --"

"That's more like it!" Ymir laughed, tucking the bar of the trapeze under her waist, and bending down to grab Jean by the wrists. "If you would just listen to me, I could help you--"

"I don't need your help, Ymir!" Jean hissed. Ymir rolled her eyes, hooked her knees up around the bar, and let him go.

"You'll change your mind eventually!"


	2. Diamonds

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter: Marco's perspective!
> 
> \--

"So has he texted you yet?"

"No" Marco replied. He snapped a playing card into existence between his fingers, followed by another, and another. He dropped them into his free hand as he spoke. "I don't think he has any intention to, either. He must not be interested." He looked down at the pile of cards collecting in his hand. Krista pouted.

"Well, maybe he's just intimidated!" She offered. "You know you can be a little... hard to approach, sometimes."

The cards in Marco's hand burst into flames, and he waved away the smoke as he looked back at Krista. "Really?"

"Yeah" Krista sighed. "Ymir says she's sure he likes you; he watches us practice all the time! Maybe you should just initiate things."

"How do you mean?"

"I mean ask him out or something!"

"Ask him - _where_? Where could I even ask him to go around here? We're in the middle of nowhere."

"And he's new here!" Krista smiled. "So offer to show him around the carnival. Take him to your favorite places here. He would probably love to know a little more about the area - Ymir says she's pretty sure he never goes anywhere!"

"Krista, he probably just has some gorgeous girlfriend or boyfriend back wherever he's from. I'm not going to--"

"Well then the worst he could do is say no!" She insisted. "Just go talk to him! And this time, no tricks."

Marco sighed and checked his phone for the time; maybe he could still catch the end of Jean's practice.

\--

Marco found him just where he thought he might, looking tired and sweaty as he came down the stairs of the trapeze podium. He saw Marco wave him over, gave him a quick nod and grabbed a bottle of water before heading toward him.

"Hey" Marco said quietly.

Jean smiled politely. "Hey. I didn't think you guys had practice today."

"We don't. I, uh... I just wanted to have a quick chat with you, if that's ok?"

"Sure. What's up?"

Marco sighed. "Listen, I'm sorry if I bothered you before."

Jean's mouth fell open and he shook his head quickly. "Oh, no - it's not - you didn't!" Marco could have sworn he noticed a blush bloom across his face, but it was hard to tell, with the sweaty flush already there.

"Well I just wanted to know if - if you've got some free time this weekend - you'd like to go somewhere with me? I thought I could show you around the area here, or we could just walk around the carnival or something. If you'd like to, I mean"

Jean stared at him, like he was genuinely surprised. Marco waited, feeling more anxious with every second of silence that passed. When Jean finally spoke, he still sounded a bit dazed.

"You want me to go out with you?"

"Well yeah, but only if you want--"

"Sure!" Jean said, and Marco almost doubted his own ears.

"Yeah? Ok, great! Just, uh... let me know when you'd like to go. Maybe after the show one night."

Jean nodded and then was gone with a wave. Marco watched him leave, smiling to himself as he wondered how to thank Krista.

\--

Stretched out on his bed that evening, Marco felt a buzz in his pocket. It was a text, from a number he didn't have saved. He smiled when he read it.

_How's tomorrow, after the show? We could probably use a chance to relax after opening night. Sound ok?_

Marco rolled onto his stomach and texted back, grinning to himself.

_Sounds great! See you then!_

He saved the number to his phone and sighed happily. He had a date, and all he'd had to do was ask. He tapped Krista's name and sent another text before falling asleep.

_You were right. :)_

He awoke the next morning to a response in his inbox, full of emojis and a picture of Krista, giving him a thumbs up.

_Told ya! Say it: I'm the world's BEST assistant!_

Marco couldn't help but agree.


	3. Spades

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter: Jean's perspective!
> 
> \--

"I hear your performance with Ymir went well."

Jean nodded in response. Opening night had been fine, with only a few small hitches along the way. He and Ymir had pulled off their act, even if it was a bit shaky, and Jean felt relieved. A large part of him wished he could have seen Marco perform, but the schedule of their acts placed them almost back to back, with no time to stop to watch in between. He was glad when the show was over, and Marco had shown up at the door of his room to take him out. It was nice to hear something other than a buzzing crowd and blaring music, and Marco's gentle voice made the contrast all the better. They talked as they weaved through the group's of people gathered around the small attractions of the carnival that surrounded the circus's main building.

"It was fine. Still probably needs work, but no one fell" he joked. Marco smiled widely and Jean couldn't help but return it. "Speaking of which, how was your act? I could hear the crowd freaking out but I didn't get to see any of it."

"Oh, it was fine. It always is, though. The audience was excited, and Krista is a great assistant. So yeah, just fine!" He stopped talking when three small children spotted him and squealed loudly, bounding over to where he stood.

"Mr. Magician!" One of them shouted, tugging at Marco's shirt. "Can you show us a magic trick?!" A young woman was a few steps behind them, trying to pull them away as she apologized to Marco.

"No, boys; don't bother him! You saw the show, that's enough. I'm very sorry, sir!" She added, glancing up at he and Jean. Marco smiled warmly and knelt down to face the children better.

"Oh it's no bother at all!" He said sweetly. "How about this - how old are you boys?"

"Six!"

"Eight!"

"Seven!"

Marco nodded and pulled cloth from his pocket, folding it in his hand. He flipped the cloth over his fingers, and a piece of candy dropped from inside it. He held the candy out to the youngest brother, then motioned to the others. They put out their hands excitedly, and Jean watched in amazement as Marco produced piece after piece of candy, dropping them into the boys hands, a piece for each year of their ages. When he'd filled their hands they ran off happily, arguing over who had the best pieces. He offered a final piece to the woman chasing after them, and then tucked the cloth back into his pocket. He smiled a little sheepishly when Jean applauded.

"Looks like it went better than fine" he smiled. "That was pretty cool. Not to mention adorable - did you see those kids freak out?" Marco shrugged.

"It's no big deal."

"So you're just always that awesome?"

Marco shook his head and bumped Jean's shoulder playfully. "Just doing my job."

"Well your job is pretty awesome. Pretty amazing. And you're basically perfect at it." Jean would have probably kept rambling, if he hadn't felt Marco staring at him.

"I'm really not that special, Jean. A lot of people could do what I do if they--"

"But they don't. You know, I'll tell you something, but you've got to swear you won't laugh at me, ok?" Marco nodded and Jean took a deep breath and continued. "I didn't know what to think about you when I first saw you last week. I was a little jealous of how good you seemed to be at what you did, and I was kind of afraid to talk to you, because I just assumed you'd be a pretentious prick."

"Oh" Marco said softly. "Did... you change your mind about that?"

"Obviously" Jean said, and leaned over to bump his arm against Marco's. "Now I can see it's not an act. You're _actually_ perfect."

Marco laughed, and it lit up his entire face, despite the dim light of the outskirts of the carnival. "I'm far from perfect, Jean. I'm a little bit of a freak show, with one blind eye and --"

"You're blind in that eye?" It was far more blunt than Jean had intended to be; he'd noticed Marco's different colored eyes, but had tried to politely ignore the topic. Marco didn't seem offended, though.

"Yeah. I was born that way. I'm not sure if that's why there's no color in that eye either, but it kind of sucks, because it's the first thing people seem to notice."

"I noticed your freckles first" Jean mumbled. Marco grinned at him and Jean felt his cheeks begin to burn. "Besides, I think your eyes make you even cooler. I mean, a magician who's half blind and still better than everyone else? That kicks ass. Plus, they look nice too. I like them."

"Thanks" Marco smiled. He leaned in toward Jean, who mirrored him without thinking. Marco clasped a hand over Jean's arm; how voice was easier to hear with the carnival crowd behind them. "I like yours, too."

"Mine aren't cool like yours, though."

"But they're really pretty" said Marco, grinning wider. He dropped his hand to Jean's and took it; Jean's voice caught in his throat and his eyes fluttered closed as their faces inched closer together. He could feel Marco's breath against his skin and he licked his lips, concentration broken when Marco suddenly spoke.

"Let's go get something to eat!"

\--

"So Hanji brought a few more acts on board, hoping to keep the circus afloat. It's been rough, but I know she's hoping that this weekend's sales will give us the boost we need to stay in business."

Marco poked at his food as he spoke, sounding a little less optimistic than usual. They were in the back booth of a tiny local diner - which Jean would have never even known about if he hadn't suggested it. Leaving the job he was just beginning to like wasn't a thought Jean particularly enjoyed either, but seeing Marco sulk about it was worse still.

"Me too then, I guess" he said when Marco looked back up at him. "I hope it stays in business, considering I just signed on, and I really don't wanna move again. It was a pain in the ass moving all the way out here, where I didn't know anyone. The circus can't shut down now - I'm just starting to like everybody!"

"Everybody?" Marco smirked, raising an eyebrow. Jean rolled his eyes.

"Ok, not _everybody_. I can't really stand the fire eater guy, Eren Whatshisname. And that Levi guy that works with Hanji freaks me out."

"The owner? The one who's cousin is a contortionist?"

"Yeah, that guy! Freaks. Me. Out." Jean shuddered; Marco nearly fell out of his seat laughing.

"But you like everyone else?" He said, wiping at his watering eyes.

"Well, yeah. Connie and Sasha are great, Reiner and the other guy - Bert, I think? - I like them. The lion tamer guy, Armin - they're all really cool. I even like Ymir, most of the time, and her girlfriend seems really sweet. And I like _you_." Jean punctuated his statement by sliding a hand over the back of Marco's. Marco smiled back at him warmly, and Jean didn't even feel awkward when he realized he was staring at the other man's two toned eyes again.

They ate the rest of their food in relative silence, and Jean left his hand on the table with Marco's until the waitress returned with their check. Walking back toward the main building later, he noticed that the carnival goers had all gone home. As he headed for the room that he now called his own home, he stopped to glance up at the early evening stars with Marco, and silently wished on more than one that he wouldn't have to leave it anytime soon.

"Good luck tomorrow night, if I don't see you before then" he said to Marco, as they came to the hallway where they would have to part ways. "I'm sure you'll be perfect."

"Likewise" Marco grinned. "I'd tell you to break a leg, but that probably isn't the best thing to say to a trapeze artist, huh?"

Jean shoved him playfully, and Marco grabbed his hand and held it to keep from falling. Jean squeezed his fingers around Marco's, and they stood that way for a few minutes, foreheads pressed together, smiling and silent. When they said goodbye, it was with a squeeze of each other's hands, and Jean was anxiously checking his phone for messages before he had even closed his door.

\--

_Had a really good time tonight, Jean. Thanks!_

Jean smiled like an idiot the moment that his phone vibrated, and kept smirking even as he hit send on his reply.

 _Pssh, don't thank me. Just say you'll do it again sometime soon, and we'll call it even._

_Deal ;)_


	4. Hearts

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Final chapter; Jean's perspective!
> 
> \--

Friday and Saturday were a blur of rehearsals, performances and increasingly flirtatious texts. When Jean wasn't working with Ymir, his hands were tapping across the screen of his phone. Even when he was practicing, he spent more than half the time trading smiles with Marco. Busy show weekends were not the best time for dates, but it didn't mean he wasn't (constantly) thinking about him.

Warming up for Sunday's performance, he stretched with some of the others and chatted about what to expect from a Sunday night crowd. He was nearly finished getting ready when Hanji burst into the room, waving her arms and calling for them all to gather around her. He found a place to stand beside Krista and Marco, smiling at the silver eyed wink he got when their hands brushed together.

"Ok, crew. There's been a little incident with our acrobats. They went into town this afternoon, and Connie's car was hit on their way back. They're ok -" she assured, seeing the worry cross the faces of most of the cast, "and they'll be here tonight, but not in time to open, as usual. So I've made some changes to the line up. We're moving our trapeze and tightrope team to the opening spot. Bert and Reiner, you'll be switching schedule positions with Eren, who will perform right before our contortionists. Everything else stays the same, with our acrobats taking the spot usually reserved for our trapeze artists. Marco, you'll still be our closer, so bring it home tonight with a great show, sweetie."

Marco - and the rest of the cast - nodded in agreement. A few asked questions, while others rushed off to rearrange equipment for their rescheduled performances. Jean bumped his fist against Marco's hip and smiled, looping an arm over his shoulders.

"I might actually get to watch you do your thing tonight, magic man."

Jean didn't think Marco's smile could get any brighter than it usually was, but he was definitely wrong.

\--

To the surprise of nearly everyone in the cast, the show went beyond smoothly. By all accounts, it was the best performance they'd had so far. Jean felt a difference the moment that he and Ymir stepped into the spotlights.

The crowd was excited - far more energetic than he was used to in their usual spot near the end of the show - and he fed off of their enthusiasm. Everything they did drew cheers from the crowd, and when they finished their act, it was to applause he'd never heard the equal of. Ymir hugged him as they made their way out of the rings, and even waited until they were out of sight of the audience to mess up his hair. She tugged him after her toward the back entrance to the stands and they found a place to sit and watch the rest of the show.

It was fun - surprisingly so. He had seen his new friends during rehearsals but rarely caught more than a glimpse of their performances. Seeing them in costume, with all of the lights, music and spectacle of a full show was an amazing transformation; within just a few minutes, Jean felt like part of the crowd, rather than part of the show. He and Ymir cheered loudly for every act, and laughed more than a few times as well.

After Connie and Sasha had finished their act, Hanji came out to announce the show's finale, and introduce Marco. Jean felt his heart inching into his throat, a smile pulling at his lips. The room darkened and the crowd roared, Jean right along with them. When the spotlight snapped on, it fell on Krista, beaming as she strutted toward the center of the floor.

"Damn, she looks good tonight" Ymir whispered, a wolfish grin on her face. Jean nodded; Krista really did look amazing. She wore a tiny, white, one-piece outfit studded with crystals and feathers. She waved at the audience and they cat-called and cheered; Ymir nodded and laughed. "Scream all you want to, boys. That's _my_ girl."

She carried a tiny box in her hands, which she placed on the ground when she reached the middle of the ring. She covered it with a cloth and then stood back, smiling brightly as the box grew huge and the cloth fell away. When it had reached a size much taller than Krista herself, she tapped the edge and the sides of the box fell away with a whisp of smoke, and a man stood in the middle of the fallen pieces.

" _Marco, Marco!_ " The crowd chanted his name as he smiled up at them. Jean stood from his seat and cheered with them. He felt a distinct sense of pride, though they still weren't much more than friends. But watching Marco perform made him glad that someday soon, they might be.

\--

Disaappearing. Reappearing. Doves and fire and whole objects from _nowhere_. Everything Marco did amazed Jean that night, and the gasps of delight from the audience helped him feel just a little less embarrassed about fawning over him.

Marco spoke with a loud, authoritative voice Jean had never heard from him before. He smiled the same confident smile he wore most of the time, but it seemed amplified under the circus lights. When he hoisted Krista into the air - leaving her there to float as he passed hoops and scarves around her from every angle - he did it with such practiced ease that Jean fought the urge to wonder if it was real magic. At the show's end he helped Krista put him back into the box, which she then pressed back into an impossibly small square, launching it from a trick canon into the air as the audience watched anxiously. She fired the canon, and the box shot toward the ceiling, exploding to rain confetti onto the audience, and revealing Marco standing on the center acrobatics platform and waving at them. Watching him smile out at the crowd, Jean sighed happily. Ymir poked him in the ribs teasingly before pulling him to his feet and after her again, back down to the backstage area. A few minutes later, the entire cast was gathered there, hugging and high-fiving each other to celebrate a fantastic show.

"You were amazing!" The words left his mouth automatically, as soon as Marco came into sight. Marco beamed back at him and threw his arms around Jean's shoulders; Jean ignored the giggles behind them and pulled Marco into a tight hug.

"So were you!" Marco laughed, still breathless and sweating from his time under the lights. "I've never gotten to see your act - you were fantastic, Jean!"

Hanji shuffled into the room and tried to quiet the raucous laughter and chatter. Jean turned to listen, but left his arm looped around Marco's waist.

"Great show tonight, crew! And I've got some great news to go with it! I've just talked to Levi, and he says our sales tonight were through the roof! We're still selling merchandise and souvenirs, even as we speak! The new lineup was such a success, he wants me to keep the schedule that way for next week's shows."

Jean traded a quick smile with Marco and squeezed his waist a little tighter. "Looks like I might get to see you work your magic a little more often" he said quietly. Marco grinned wider.

"And with our ticket sales tonight, our take from merchandise and our projected sales for the rest of the month, we've got more than enough to keep us in business - we've been approved for another full season!" Hanji shrieked with excitement, and the others cheered around them.

He would get to keep his job there, to keep his friends, his Marco.

Jean turned to look at him and pulled him in for a hug, but something swept over them both and before he knew who even initiated it, they were kissing. The sounds around them faded out for a moment, and their friendship caught fire into something much, _much_ better. When Marco pulled away and Jean's senses returned, he heard their castmates clapping and cheering, this time for the two of them. Marco blushed a little and Jean probably did too, but that moment was too perfect to process more than their arms tangled together and his chest feeling like it would burst.

\--

"C'mon, Jean - you're on in ten minutes!"

Marco grumbled half-heartedly, pushing Jean's lips away from his own long enough to speak. They returned a moment later, and Jean grinned when Marco sighed in defeat.

"Relax, babe. I've got plenty of time!"

"That's... what you said... last night" Marco whispered between kisses. "And you saw how that turned out."

"I was two seconds late! You can hardly hold that against me."

Marco rolled his eyes and pushed Jean off of him, doing his best to look and sound serious. "I can think of some things that I _won't_ be holding against you anytime soon if you don't get out there right now."

"Fine" Jean whined, pulling himself and then Marco to their feet. "But we'll continue this discussion later tonight."

"Jean we weren't discussing anything..."

"Exactly" he winked. Marco groaned, but didn't argue when Jean pulled him in for one final kiss.

"See you later, magic man."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \-- 
> 
> Hope you enjoyed it!
> 
> Also, [I do have a tumblr as well](http://quartetship.tumblr.com/) and I'm currently open for requests! :)
> 
> Thanks for reading!


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